Hydrant



{No Model.)

J. C. KUPFERLE.

HYDRANT.

Lented Mar. 30, 1886.

N. PETERS. Phow-Lnhugmpmr. whinglan, D, C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

JOHN C. KUPFERLE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

HYDRANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,756, dated March 30, 1886.

(No model.)

To ai?, whom it 77mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. KUPFERLE, of St. Louis, Missouri, have made a new and useful Improvement in Hydrants, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description.

The improvement relates to self-closing hydrants; andit consists partly in the means for lifting the valve, partly in the means for protecting the valve-lifting mechanism from frost, partly in the means for preventing the water from entering the stock on the outer side of the delivery-pipe, and partly in the means for readily establishing` the connection between the hydrant and the water-supply pipe.

The annexed drawing, making part of the specification, exhibits the improved construction, the view being a vertical central section of the hydrant.

The water is supplied to the hydrant through the joint of pipe A, which is swiveled at a in the foot b of the valve-chamber B. The pipe A may be bent, as shown, to cause the lower end, a', to point away to the side ofthe hydrant, or it may be in the shape of an elbow. The advantage which this construction offers is that it enables the hydrant to be readily connected with a water-pipe leading from any quarter, for in whatever' direction the water-pipe may come the pipe A may be turned around in the footb to cause the end ato point toward the water-pipe.

The valve-chamber B and the valve C are of the customary form. The valve is attached to the rod D,which extends to the top of the hydrant, and thereprovided with the handle E. When the valve is unseated, the water flows through the side pipe, b', of the valve-chamber into the delivery-pipe F, which incloses the valverod and extends from the valve-chamber upward to the chamber Gin the upper part of the hydrant. The Water flows into the chamber G and thence to the nozzle H.

The housing of the hydrant is mainly composed of the wooden tube I. Hitherto it has been customary to extend the housing downward to take in the valve-chamber. This is objectional in this: The water that wastes from the valve-chamber is liable to well upward within the housing and, in cold weather, occasion trouble by enfrosting the delivery-pipe and lling the space around the delivery-pipe more or less with ice. rlhis difficulty is overcome in the present construction by terminating the housing above the valve-chamber. A nut, J, encircles thelower end of the deliverypipe F,which at that point is threaded to receive the nut. The housing may rest directly on the nut,and thereby be upheld in position above the valve-chamber, or it may be stepped in the plate K, which in turn is supported by the nut. The nut or nut and plate also serve to exclude the moisture from the interior t' of the housing. The joint around the upper end of the delivery-pipe F where it enters the chamber G is sufficiently tight to prevent water from wasting downward around the delivery-pipe and entering the housing at its upper end. The chamber G preferably does not come immediately against the housing, but is adapted to rest upon the shell L, whose lower end is fitted to the upper end of the housing. The chamber G,at its upper end, is constructed so that the water shall flow thence only to the nozzle. To thisend the partition M,which constitutes the roof of the chamber G, is closed, saving to admit the valve-rod, which passes upward through the partition, through an inner case, N, contained in the hydrant above the partition, and through the cap O of the hydrant. The joint around the valve -rod where it passes through the partition is packed by means of the leather Rwhich encircles the valve-rod, rests upon the partition, and held down thereupon by means of the case N,which in turn is held down by means of the cap O. The valve-rod is provided with a spirally-eX- tended projection, d, which is adapted to engage and work in a corresponding slot or groove, n, in the case N. A spring, Q, around the valve-rod bears at its lower end upon a shoulder, d', on the valve-rod, and at its upper end against the cap O.

By rotating the valve-rod by means of the handle E the valve-rod and valve,owing to the projection d and slot n, are lifted and the water discharged from the hydrant. Vhen the handle is released the spring acts to depress the valve-rod and seat the valve. This method of operating the valve-rod is advantageous, as thereby the valve-rod can be more readily started in the event of its being frozen or otherwise confined.

The nozzle H may be furnished with a removable nipple, B. The nozzle is threaded IOO on its inner side and the nipple is threaded on its outer side. The hydrant can thus be'used to deliver water into a hose, which can -be attached to the nipple, and when it is desired to prevent the hose from being used the nipple is removed, in which event the hose cannot be screwed onto the nozzle.

I claim- 1. The hydrant having the chamber G, pro-` vided with a partition, M, constituting the roof of said chamber, said partition being closed except for the passage of the valve-rod, the valve-rod D, inner case, N, above said partition, leather P, encircling the valve-rod and resting upon the partition and held down in place by the case N, and cap O, securing the case N, substantially as Yand for the Vpurpose setforth. f' j Y 2. The'combination of the partition M, the

slotted case N, the valve-rod D, having the 2o spiral projection d, the handle E, and the cap O, substantially as described.

3.k Thev combi'natiom-inla hydrant, 0f the chamber G, the nozzle H, the partition M, the leather P, the slotted case N, the .valve-rod D, 25 having the spiralprojection d, the handle E,

and the cap O, substantially as described.

JOHN C. 'KUPFERLE Witnesses: v i K G. D. MOODY, J. YV. HOKE. 

